there was a body. >> reporter: and at that moment, what did you do? what were you thinking at that moment? >> oh, my god. >> reporter: he couldn't see suspect number two's face. he was glad he couldn't see his face. >> i know i took three steps up the ladder. but i don't remember stepping down off the ladder. >> reporter: he rushed into his home, and called 911. police swarmed the neighborhood. david and his wife were taken away. >> reporter: people are calling you a national hero. >> if the people who were killed can get something from -- >> reporter: you know, in many ways, they do. >> then i'm at peace with it. >> reporter: an accidental hero with the thanks of a city. in watertown, mautchedz, i'm ed harding for abc news. >> and we thank ed and dave. and we want you to know that across the country tonight, americans have said they want to contribute money to help dave replace his beloved boat, as a sign of gratitude.

but he's asked us to tell you that he's so appreciative, but he'd like everybody instead to donate to the "one fund boston" to help the victims who were injured, he says, not a guy who lost a boat. and we've come inside for a moment here in dallas, to tell you more about the investigation speeding ahead at full tilt. the suspect remains in the hospital. his every word and facial expression has been analyzed and scrutinized by a team of experts. and abc's brian ross tells us now what they're learning about his motivation, his inspiration. >> reporter: with the injuries to his head, neck, legs and hand healing, the hospital today upgraded the condition of dzhokhar tsarnaev from serious to fair. so far the only word he has spoken is a grunted "no." at the same time, friends sought to upgrade his image. one posted this undated video on youtube, showing dzhokhar doing the robot dance with buddies on

the wrestling team. hardly the anti-american islamic radical accused of following his brother in bombing the marathon. >> it does appear the elder brother was the driving force, that he was very angry at u.s. foreign policy. >> reporter: the younger brother told the fbi that he and his brother were inspired by the anti-u.s. internet preaching of the radical cleric anwar al awlaki. even though the american born al qaeda figure was killed in a -- more than a year and a half ago, his words still have power. here condemning the u.s. actions in iraq and afghanistan, which the younger brother said, became their motivation to attack. >> we have chosen the path of war in order to defend ourselves from your oppression. >> reporter: the elder brother tamerlan had another favorite speaker. a chechen rebel leader who's video tamerlan posted online. here the leader threatens death to anyone who helps the infidels. he was killed by the russians last year.

and it was on the internet, dzhokhar told fbi agents, that they learned how to make a bomb with a pressure cooker all found from an al qaeda online magazine. >> it suggests people are getting smarter about building easily manufactured bombs and targeting the united states. >> reporter: in russia today, the mother of the brothers tsarnaev, who first encouraged her older son. she was defiant in claiming their innocence. >> my son was muslim! >> reporter: in her first on-camera, interview, she said her sons were being set up. >> what happened is a terrible thing, but i know that my kids have nothing to do with this. i know it, i am mother. >> the parents are talking about coming to boston to see their surviving son and claim the body of the dead one. if the mother comes, she could face arrest for failing to show up in court in boston last year, on charges she shoplifted $1,600

worth of clothes at the lord & taylor department store there, diane? >> brian, thanks so much. and we have a final note from boston tonight, about other families, families grieving. funerals were held today for two of the victims. 8-year-old martin richard, who -- and sean collier, the m. i t. police officer shot days later. his fellow officers marched in step as they left his funeral today. and next, we bring you up to date on an alleged terror plot we told you about last night. police say they foiled a plan to derail a train carrying americans from new york to canada. and the two men arrested appeared in separate courtrooms today. one of them denied the charges. the authorities said the men had help from al qaeda members in iran. today the iranian government denied any involvement in the plot. next, we have a new twist in the case of the letter laced with the deadly poison mailed to the president.

we told you police had arrested paul kevin curtis, an elvis impersonator from mississippi. today, curtis walked free, the charges against him dropped, after authorities found no trace of ricin in his car or home. and his lawyers say, he was framed. now on to wall street, and if you were watching the markets today, you saw it. just after 1:00 p.m., a massive nose dive all because of one tweet from a trusted source. the associated press. it said there was an explosion at the white house and president obama was injured. but the tweet was false. the work of disruptive hackers. abc's new chief business and economics correspondent rebecca jarvis explains how it all unfolded. >> reporter: it was the tweet that sent stocks plunging. at 1:07 p.m., breaking news from the associated press, "two explosions in the white house and barack obama is injured."

>> stocks higher this afternoon, recovering after a false report of a bombing at the white house. >> hack account on an a.p. twitter feed. >> reporter: the news was false. a hacker's hoax. but before the a.p. or the president's press secretary could clear things up -- >> i can say the president was fine. i was just with him. >> reporter: there were four minutes of panic on wall street. a gain of 130 points on the dow, gone in an instant. $136 billion lost before seconds later, a full recovery. but it wasn't humans driving stocks lower. traders say many computer programs troll the internet for key phrases and react accordingly. in this case, they saw the a.p.'s tweet and responded sell, sell, sell. >> computers don't have emotions. computers don't have intuition. computers trade off of one variable and one variable only. humans use their intuitions, we can look, we can see, we can feel and touch. we knew pretty quickly it was not a true headline. >> reporter: authorities are questioning how it could happen.

the a.p. has suspended his twitter account. but this is a cautionary tale. that in this digital age, even an obvious hoax, could cost americans millions of dollars. diane? >> thank you, rebecca, and it's great to welcome you to abc news. and now a new warning about something you may do in your car thinking it's safe. instead of texting while driving, some people talk on hands-free devices and send messages while driving. well, now, a new study out has advice for everyone on the road, and here's abc's paula faris. >> reporter: we've shown how distracted driving can be. whether with your kids in the back seat -- or, phone in hand. when i took my eyes off the highway for just over two seconds, i traveled half the length of a football field. and while you might think using your phone's voice to text feature is making your ride safer, a new study, out today, suggests it's just as dangerous as manual texting.

in fact, this first of its kind research, a small study of 45 drivers, claims that driver performance slows down when you text. whether it's manual or voice to text. >> this report clearly shows you're in just as much danger if you're using a voice-driven way to text as if you're sitting there in the driver's seat, typing away with your thumbs. >> reporter: you're 23 times more likely to get into a car crash while texting. and so the consumer is now driving auto makers to install technology they assume makes the car safer, into their vehicles. like voice to text. if the consumer believes the technology in their vehicle makes them safer, that's on them. that's not on the message that they're hearing from the automaker. >> i think they're getting mixed signals from the automakers. none of the automakers would say this is safe, go out and use it, but it's an implication. >> reporter: as of today, the department much transportation is issuing new guidelines to the auto makers, encouraging them to limit any sort of electronic

distraction that would take the drivers' eyes off the road. what's the solution for driving and texting? >> not doing it. >> paula faris, abc news, new york. and still ahead from dallas, here on "world news," that big explosion and the little town nearby. for the first time, the stunning stories of those trying to fight those flames. >> the fertilizer plant just blew up. >> we have a major catastrophe. we had never used a contractor before and didn't know where to start. at angie's list, you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare written by people just like you. no company can pay to be on angie's list, so you can trust what you're reading. angie's list is like having thousands of close neighbors where i can go ask for personal recommendations. that's the idea. before you have any work done, check angie's list. from roofers to plumbers to dentists and more, angie's list -- reviews you can trust. i love you, angie. sorry, honey.

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viagra. talk to your doctor. we are back with you now in front of the skyline of dallas, texas, but as you can imagine, in dallas, all eyes for days now, have been on a little town 77 miles south. it is the town of west, shattered by that massive explosion at a fertilizer plant where 200 people were injured, 14 people died. among them, so many first responders, volunteer firefighters who knew it was dangerous, but rushed in to help. abc's steve osunsami has been there from the very first night and spent the day with the people of west, texas, again. >> reporter: the volunteer first responders were everyday people, racing do that burning depot. factory workers, salesmen, repairmen, heading straight into danger. >> 911. >> there was a big explosion and our house is destroyed.

>> reporter: in these newly released called for help -- >> my god, what has happened? >> reporter: you can hear the panic. >> our house, our whole windows, everything, it sounded like a bomb! >> reporter: pat grimm helped fight the fire that night. he said what most people don't know is that the brave volunteers knew the plant would blow but stayed there dousing the flames buying time to evacuate the nursing home across the street. >> we were able to evacuate those people, there could have been 30, 40 lives lost because they didn't delay the fire. >> reporter: for the first time, we're hearing from firefighters who were inside that terrible disaster. they say the explosion instantly tore apart two of their fire trucks, flattened homes nearby, and killed their friends on-site. >> my wife and my kids are helping keeping me together. >> reporter: firefighter cody dragoo was killed in the force of the blast. he worked at the fertilizer plant and organized the yearly barbecue where he and his

brothers at the fire house raised thousands of dollars for new equipment and new trucks. >> he was the absolute grill master. >> reporter: they also lost morris bridges, who fixed fire sprinklers for a living, and loved his motorcycle. kenneth luckey harris, "luckey" with an "e," who ran a home inspection business. and brothers robert and doug snokhous, both iron workers -- and fathers and husbands. >> doug had a saying, especially to his wife, when she's tell him to be careful when he was going on a fire call. he would always respond, "the good die young." "the good die young." and if doug was here, i'd tell him, "indeed, the good do die young." >> reporter: they started preparing for their first funeral today. joey pushosky was just 29 years old, the town secretary, a god-fearing man, and they'll bury him tomorrow. >> i think about joey and i just picture his son's face, and it makes me think about my own children and what could have been. >> reporter: is the word "brave" big enough for the men who fell

here? >> these guys are true heroes. >> we are all so moved by their story and steve osunsami is here now. >> 70% of firefighters across the country are volunteers, like the brave men and women of west, who work with so little and have asked us to thank the country for all of the support and all of the prayers they've received. >> and again, i know you've been there every step of the way. good to see you. thank you. coming up next, it's our instant index and we'll take you behind a famous picture. a mystery revealed. for years. . both of us actually. our pharmacist recommended it. and that makes me feel pretty good about it. and then i heard about a study looking at multivitamins and the long term health benefits. and what do you know? they used centrum silver in the study. makes me feel even better, that's what i take. sorry, we take. [ male announcer ] centrum. the most recommended. most preferred. most studied. centrum, always your most complete.

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our instant index tonight begins with a piece of history. we know a picture is worth a thousand words, but what about the camera? we all remember the iconic picture -- a sailor, a nurse, a kiss for a lifetime in times square, celebrating the end of world war ii. well, tonight, a mystery revealed about the camera and the cameraman behind the timeless shot. the camera was made in germany. the photographer was jewish, forced to flee germany during the war. there he is with his camera dangling by his side and then his own embrace, his own version of that kiss. and also tonight, an incredible image and story of survival. they are calling him the miracle baby, born amid the ruins in china, after the devastating 7.0 earthquake. an army of doctors and volunteers coming together to bring the little boy into this

world, and there, mother and child, safe and together at last. so great to have that ending. and coming up next here, dr. richard besser on what you may not know about the medicine inside your medicine cabinet. take our quiz, see if you know what's good for your health, next. have rheumatoid arthritis, can you start the day the way you want? can orencia (abatacept) help? could your "i want" become "i can"? talk to your rheumatologist. orencia reduces many ra symptoms like pain, morning stiffness and the progression of joint damage. it's helped new ra patients and those not helped enough by other treatments. do not take orencia with another biologic medicine for ra due to an increased risk of serious infection. serious side effects can occur including fatal infections. cases of lymphoma and lung cancer have been reported. tell your doctor if you are prone to or have any infection like an open sore or the flu or a history of copd, a chronic lung disease. orencia may worsen your copd.

[ male announcer ] now learn about a program committed to you and copay assistance that can reduce monthly orencia out-of-pocket drug cost to $5. if you're not satisfied after 6 months, you get that money back. call 1-800-orencia. woman: everyone in the nicu -- all the nurses wanted to watch him when he was there 118 days. everything that you thought was important to you changes in light of having a child that needs you every moment.

i wouldn't trade him for the world. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. if you're caring for a child with special needs, our innovative special care program offers strategies that can help. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. it put me at ease that you could smoke on the first week. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems,

or if you develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. with chantix and with the support system it worked for me. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. and finally tonight, time for some truth about our health, and it comes from our own trusted source, dr. richard besser. he has a new book out today, called "tell me the truth, doctor." published by hyperion, a sister company of abc. so tonight, dr. besser has a kind of quiz for us, about our health and the medicine in our cabinet.

>> absolutely, definitely. >> i'm not sure. >> i think i can. >> i don't know. >> reporter: lots of confusion out there. let's clear it up. starting with the medicine cabinet. is it safe to use drugs after the expiration date? the truth? over-the-counter drugs are good for years. even the cdc stores drugs after their expiration date. for you it means aspirin, cold remedy pills, okay to keep. liquid drugs and prescription drugs should get tossed. keeping them is dangerous. more everyday medicine. if you get a cut, should you clen it with rubbing alcohol, water or hydrogen peroxide. >> i think water. >> i'm not sure. >> rubbing alcohol. >> reporter: the truth, plain water. hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol can damage the wound. you just want to get the dirt and bacteria out of the cut. your immune system can do the rest. >> eight out of ten americans have back pain. so if your back hurt, is rest best? do you just lie still?

the truth? bed rest isn't helpful. get up and keep moving. walk, gently stretch, take a pain reliever. if you don't feel better in three days or if you have muscle weakness, call your doctor. >> finally, watching tv, sitting too close. does it hurt your eyes? >> i think so. >> you should not sit too close to the tv. >> i do believe that was never proven. >> i sat close to the tv when i was young and i'm very near sighted. >> reporter: the truth? sitting close to the tv can strain your eyes. temporarily. but hurt them? no. that's not why people need glasses. and that's the truth. dr. richard besser, abc news, new york. >> we thank dr. richard besser and we leave you now from dallas. tomorrow we'll be at the new george w. bush presidential library for an exclusive interview with former president bush on everything from terror to the war in iraq, the republican party, and those paintings of his that have been circulating on the internet. that's tomorrow.

tonight we want to thank our affiliate wfaa in dallas. and we thank you for watching as well. and "nightline" is later. be sure to follow us on abc.com. i'll see you again right here from dallas tomorrow night. until then, goodnight.

tonight apple opens the door to its vault what. they plan to do with the cash they've stacked. >> a set back in a reservoir site. what they found here that could leave parts of the bay area high and dry a horny -- thorny tweet and there is little we can do to stop it and a highway whistle blower says guardrails may not guard at all. >> tonight apple loosens it's grip on an unprecedented hoard of cash and it should be good news for anyone who owns apple stock. good evening. >> apple's refusal to let go of the money stashed in the bank is partly to blame for a decline in stock price. it's fallen in seven months so

the company announced a plan to return cash to shareholders. the stock rose today but it hasn't done much in after hours trading. david louie is live outside in cupertino tonight with the story. david? >> apple's decision to share cash comes in an interesting time today apple confirmed earnings dropped 18%. apple seems to be shoring up it's competence at the same time as consumers seemed to be lured away by competitors. one quarter doesn't make or break a company. but a drop does expect that margins have dropped. ceo tim cook told reporters

he's frustrated but apple remains strong. apple has loyal consumers. >> when you think of a tech company what company comes to mind? >> apple. >> however, some perceptions of apple may be changing google has been very open about its foray into self driving cars and google glasses. >> this seems to dip into everything. google has kind of hit everything. >> i think google is getting justify bli a lot of credit. >> van baker tracks both companies but recognizes that google is prone to drop ideas as fast as it creates them. >> you don't know what projects goring to survive and they tend to pull the trigger on products and some projects

that are quickly. >> he didn't say anything about this year. >> owning i do believe they're losing this because there is more technology that they say they have but they're making it come out, very slowly. >> anticipation can be hard to bear but apple has a record of delivering when ready. >> to suggest days are over and they're not going to grow anymore is probably a bad perception. >> apple making more overseas and today's bright spot was an increase from china. a growth market apple is trying to cultivate. >> david, thank you. one of the world's largest news organizations got hacked today. someone got into the twitter account of the associated press and sent out this fake tweet about a pair